The Overlooked Key to Better Presentations.
One of the biggest challenges I see in client communications, whether they’re boardroom pitches or project updates, isn’t nerves, delivery, or slide design. It’s the lack of thinking. Polished delivery and appealing slides won’t be enough to compensate if this is missing. Spending intentional, focused time to shape your message…to be relevant and clear for […]
Feeling Exposed When You Speak? You’re Not the Only One
We can feel so exposed when we speak: I used to feel that vulnerability constantly, of being completely ‘alone’ up there, and not having all the resources I needed to cope. I’d imagine that’s also part of your experience at some point. No matter what level of seniority or experience we get to, life or […]
Are You “Buffering” When You Speak?
I’ve been using a term with clients recently that seems to resonate: buffering. You know that spinning circle you see on your screen when something’s loading? That’s what it can feel like, and sound like when we’re trying to land on our message, but we haven’t worked it out yet. We start circling around the […]
Change your Voice or Change Your Perception?
I just finished a session with a client where we worked on vocal presence, and she said: “Are you telling me to change my voice, Sarah? I can change my appearance, that’s quite easy, but changing my voice? That feels really hard.” She’s right: if the goal is to change your voice, that’s not only […]
Multitasking as a Leader – Floss in a Lift?
Today, an example for you of multitasking and low presence. When we multitask – and it’s not like we don’t know this – it can backfire, affecting our leadership, perception and professionalism. Last week I was working in a large organision, in a lift after lunch with one other person when the director of […]
Do you communicate in 2D or 3D?
I sometimes work with clients who I describe as communicating in 2D rather than 3. This usually happens for one of two main reasons: fear or focus. People who are afraid get tangled up in their own system. They want to hide, so instead of turning outward, they turn inward and contract. People who […]
Why ‘Faking’ Delivering Under Pressure Works, and 2 Ways to Try It
When you’re preparing for a presentation or speaking event, or maybe an interview, it’s not always easy to replicate the anxiety or discomfort of the real thing. While you might feel some ramping up in your system, it’s probably nowhere near what happens when you’re in the space and expected to deliver. All those expectations: […]
How our Gestures Impact Us as Well as our Audience
Have you ever become weirdly aware of your arms or hands when you speak? Or been distracted by a speaker’s gestures? There’s a lot of information out there about body language and how much it matters to how we’re heard or received. What’s less common is understanding how our gestures impact ourselves. For example, gestures […]
Where can you see possibility today?
Happy 2025! I hope it’s a great one for you. How are you doing? The new starts – or restarts – often seems to bring inner tension: am I doing/being enough? What’s important? What am I missing? (I know some of what I’m regularly missing is the outer world when I’m locked onto my computer […]
A Year in Review: Celebrating Growth and Gratitude
As I canter – definitely a fast trot – towards the end of 2024 with public programs and in-house workshops finished but still going with 1:1 clients, I’m looking back on the year. And feeling as much enthusiasm and love as I did at the start! Sounds clichéd perhaps but it’s true. Travel included Canberra, […]